[nabs-l] Philosophical Homogeneity

[Kirt Manwaring]

Justin,
  Sometimes I wish it were as simple as you're making it out to be.
While I am not denying that individual Federationists can (and do)
have widely differing opinions, when you become a fully participating
member in the Federation you are agreeing, in essence, to keep those
disagreements within the Federation and to abide by the policies and
programs of the Federation, even when you personally disagree.  That's
why I'm uncomfortable with organized religion; that's why, for all my
admiration and agreement with most of what the Federation does, I hold
myself back from full participation.  To illustrate, I will copy and
paste a copy of the NFB pledge I found in the braille monitor.
 "I pledge to participate actively in the effort of the National
Federation of the Blind to achieve equality, opportunity, and security
for the blind; to
support the policies and programs of the Federation; and to abide by
its constitution."
  I can not in good faith sign on to such a pledge as it binds me to
support the programs of the Federation, even in those rare instances
when I don't want to.  If I disagree with the course the Federation
takes on a particular issue, I can not voice that disagreement
publicly outside the Federation.  At best, I can stay under the radar
by not making my opposition to such and such a policy widely known
outside the Federation.  People can, and have, been expelled from the
Federation for loudly voicing their disagreement in public.
  No, before you ask, I can't really think of one particular issue on
which I passionately disagree with the NFB's position.  Certainly
right now I have no personal opinion diverging enough from the NFB's
official stance to compel me to public opposition.  But it could
happen, and I refuse to sign away my right to free expression,
wherever I chose, in the event it becomes an issue.  I agree with
about 90 percent of commonly held NFB philosophy, and that's enough
for me to get involved and participate as much as I can without
signing on to that pledge.  It's kind of a complicated issue, and I
see it as far less black and white than you've made it out to be.  Of
course, that is totally my opinion, and I don't intend for this to
sound like a personal attack in the slightest.  If I'm entitled to my
beliefs, you're certainly entitled to yours.
  Best,
Kirt

On 7/20/12, Justin Salisbury <PRESIDENT at alumni.ecu.edu> wrote:
> Dear List,
>
> There are always different opinions in our organization.  If you've met two
> or three Federationists-or ACB people, for that matter-with strong opinions
> in any direction, that doesn't necessarily mean anything.
>
> We do not shun people who disagree with our national leadership.
>
> I am always willing to discuss what we're doing.
>
> I make decisions because of my core beliefs and not just because someone
> from Baltimore told me what to do.
>
> At the end of the day, after a vote, the answer is "yes" or "no," but that
> doesn't mean that every single member voted "yes" or every single member
> voted "no."  We organizationally adopt the position of the majority within
> us.
>
> About closet Federationism: We'd love to have you active in our organization
> because actively supporting our efforts helps us accomplish our goals much
> more than quietly supporting us.  If we all sat in our closets and let
> everyone else do the work, we wouldn't live in the wonderful world that our
> active members have worked so hard to create for us.  In fact, we might not
> even have closets in which to sit.
>
> In an earlier post, I used organized religion to illustrate the certain
> absence of philosophical homogeneity, and that was really the only tie I was
> mentioning or even implying with religion.  I understand that some people
> are very uncomfortable with the concept of organized religion-as I once
> was-and wished not to make anyone uncomfortable.
>
> Justin
>
> Justin M. Salisbury
> Class of 2012
> B.A. in Mathematics
> East Carolina University
> president at alumni.ecu.edu
>
> “Never doubt that a small group of thoughtful, committed citizens can change
> the world; indeed, it’s the only thing that ever has.”    —MARGARET MEAD
>
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